"It's fun to be criticised," Liverpool star hits back at critics

Liverpool are one of those teams whose status means they have to win from the word go, and starts to the season like the one Klopp's side are having immediately generate a sea of doubts and criticism. Yesterday, against Ajax, the team once again had a difficult game, with a last-gasp win that did not help the comments about the Reds' play to be positive.

And Van Dijk was keen to counter those comments after the game, when he sent a direct message to former players turned commentators: "You don't have to listen to the outside world, that's the most important thing. It's funny, there are a lot of ex-football players and they know what we go through, but they say a lot of things to try and bring us down.

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"We know last week was unacceptable, today is a step in the right direction. They scored on their first chance. After coming back from the horror show that was Napoli, it was very important to show a positive reaction. It was very important to win tonight to take advantage of the break. We had to convert our set-piece chances and Joel Matip himself did it," he said.
 

Liverpool's win against Ajax gives Jürgen Klopp and his boys some breathing space. They won. Unconvincingly, but they won. A win that gives them the opportunity to keep working on their weaknesses, but now with points in their locker. After last week's debacle in Naples, when they were thrashed 4-1, the German coach called for a reaction from his team. The criticism was harsh, and deservedly so.

Relief for Liverpool

Anfield resigned itself to a frustrating draw. It ended up celebrating an unconvincing victory. But valid. Three points to lay a foundation and try to get back to winning ways. Joel Matip scored his first Champions League goal nine years later. Virgil van Dijk had his fill of winning aerial duels throughout the match, but it was his partner at the heart of the backline who managed to head the ball into the net.